Surf Coast councillor Adrian Schonfelder defends ‘deported’ comment
A local councillor who is no stranger to controversy is not backing down from his call to deport a local delivery driver who was captured on camera kicking a magpie. WATCH THE VIDEO.
Geelong
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A Surf Coast councillor is standing by his call for an unidentified delivery driver to be “deported” for kicking a magpie.
Adrian Schonfelder commented on a video posted to the Geelong Advertiser’s Facebook page on Thursday afternoon, which showed a man with a blurred face kicking a magpie after delivering a package to a Grovedale home.
The video attracted a swarm of comments, including one from Mr Schonfelder.
“If not born in Australia he should be deported,” he wrote.
The controversial Winchelsea ward representative defended his comment on Friday, claiming the delivery driver’s behaviour was “un-Australian”.
“At the very least the individual who was cruel to the magpie should make a public apology,” he said.
“It appeared to be an unprovoked attack and I think this behaviour is un-Australian.
“I do stand by the comment I made, that if he was not born in Australia, he should be deported because I believe you can only be deported if you’re not born in Australia.”
Mr Schonfelder said he would have made the comment “irrespective of what the person looked like”.
“I am not racist, I am intolerant of animal cruelty,” he said.
“I have a non-English speaking background, and I have friends from different ethnic backgrounds, religions and sexualities.”
It’s not the first time the councillor has courted controversy with his public comments.
While running for Labor in the federal Victorian seat of Flinders in 2010, Mr Schonfelder accused then opposition leader Tony Abbott of “influencing people to take their own lives”.
He was forced to withdraw the comments and apologise, before resigning just days later after being involved in a car accident.
Julia Gillard, prime minister at the time, was urged to disendorse Mr Schonfelder.
Other aspects of the Surf Coast councillor’s history came to light following the incident.
It was reported in 2010 that Mr Schonfelder was a former Geelong Young Liberal, according to party members.
He reportedly defected from the Liberals in 2002 to join Labor because the party failed to commit to ending logging in the Otways.
Following the recent Surf Coast council election, Mr Schonfelder garnered one vote for the deputy mayor position – from himself.
Libby Stapleton, who served as mayor in 2020 and 2021, was instead elected deputy mayor, while Mike Bodsworth defeated Paul Barker in the mayoral vote.
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Originally published as Surf Coast councillor Adrian Schonfelder defends ‘deported’ comment
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